Construction of outlet frames for hoppers



Jan. 3, 1950 e; B. "DOREY CONSTRUCTION OF OUTLET FRAMES FOB HOPPERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed Jan. 25, 1944 a t N fi/VEN Jan. 3, G. B. DDREY CONSTRUCTION OF OUTLET FRAMES FOR HOPPERS Original Filed Jan. '25, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 K i V r7 l ltl?) my FIG. 5

:1 I I Y 11 M f1, 1 j "40} 103 (N vEN TOR Patented Jan. 3, 1950 CNSTRUCTION .OF OUTLET FRAMES FOR HOPPERS George B. Dorey, Westmount, Quebec, Canada, assignor to Enterprise Railway Equipment Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Substituted for application Serial No. 519,672, "filed January 25, 1944. This application August 2, 1948, Serial No. 41,991

2 Claims. (Cl. 29-4482) This invention relates to an improved method of construction of outlet frame for hoppers and this application is a substitute for abandoned application Serial Number 519.6752, filed January 25, 1944.

My invention is an improvement of the structure shown in application Serial Number 361,077, now Patent Number 2,340,519. My present invention relates to the method .of construction of such outlets and is an improvement on the construction now in common usage. The present structure referred to as being in common use includes an integrally cast frame which combines in one member the walls for attachment to a hopper proper, the supporting ledges for a sliding gate, and a depending chute like structure having at its lower margin laterally extending walls for supporting a removable chute. This integrally formed cast structure has been found highly satisfactory in service but it is expensive to manufacture and necessitates extremely large molds and cores. Furthermore, the unitary cast structure is very heavy and necessitates considerable machining in order to provide smooth and level surfaces for the sliding "gate. A further limitation which is found in the integrally cast structure resides in the difficulties of straightening the frame due to the presence of the laterally extending marginal flanges at the lower margin of the chute. frames are warped and bent as they emerge from the sand and it is therefore of importance that the parts of the frame 'c'o-operate with the sliding gate be easily accessible to a forming die.

A particular object of my invention, therefore, is to provide a structure wherein the fiat ledge portion on which the gate is mounted will be accessible to receive die pressure. For the attainment of my purposeI form the integral portion of the frame in such a manner that there are no lateral projections to interfere with the application of die pressure above and below the ledge portion of the frame. With *my system of construction the die pressure operates to level out irregularities in the surface of the ledge and provides for a straighten-:1 even surface on which the closure slides freely and thus dispenses with the necessity of machining.

My improvements contemplate an outlet structure having a large rigid frame member .and a number of independently formed parts to be .assembled with the frame after the latter has been die formed and is perfectly straight. In carrye ing out my improvements retain the principle of forming in one piece the main. part of the It will be understood that the .2. outlet frame thus combining strength and rigidity with lightness and simplicity.

My invention further resides in certain other features of construction and :detail of :parts such as will hereinafter be more fully described and claimed.

For further comprehension .of my invention, reference may be had to the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of my improved structure.

Fig. 2 is an elevational side view of the structure shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse sectional view through the structure illustrated in Fig. l and taken on a line 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a plate blanked out prior to being-die formed intoa frame.

Fig. 5 is an elevational sectional view taken on a line 5--5 of Fig. 4 showing in dotted lines the shape of the plate after bending.

Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional view taken on a line 58 of Fig. 4 and showing the shape cf the plate after die forming.

Fig. '7 is an enlarged fractional side elevational View of the frame showing the outer end of the frame and the slotfor the sliding gate.

Fig. 8 is a sectional cross section taken .on a line 8-8 of Fig. 7 showing the junction of the side and end walls of the frame and the welded joint therebetween.

Fig. 9 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view taken through the frame showing the manner in which the ledge is squeezed the upper and lower die sections.

Fig. 10 is a transverse vertical sectional View taken through the frame with the ledge positioned between the upper and lower die portions.

In said drawings, the load containing hopper to which my improved frame structure is attached is indicated by conventional dot and dash lines as indicated at as and H, said Walls is and i 5 meet together and lead downwardly .to a discharge opening. Surrounding the lower portion of the hopper is the outletframe assembly A which has a discharge opening B and a sliding gate l2 whereby control of the discharge of the hopper contents is effected.

The frame assembly .A includes the integral frame portion 13 which is generally rectangular in shape to conform to the shape of the hopper outlet. The sides of the frame are substantially Z shape with the web of the 2 as indicated at It constituting the horizontal ledge on the sliding gate 12 is mounted.

Flanges 1:5 and 1i6'Which lead from the opposite sides of the web l4 upwardly and downwardly respectively complete the aforesaid Z-shaped section. The web I4 constitutes a runway on which the gate I2 is supported and the four downwardly extending walls I6 which lead downwardly from the inner margin of the wall or ledge I4 define a load discharging chute of appreciable depth. The upwardly extending walls I5 which rise from the outer margin of the web I4 extend substantially vertically for a limited distance giving a pan shape effect to the frame. On two sides of the frame, the walls I5 are shown as continuing vertically for their entire depth but on the other two sides it will be noted that the walls slope at an angle as indicated at H to conform to the shape of the hopper.

On one side of the frame the gate I2 projects through a slot I8 which is formed in one of the walls I5. Outstanding from the lower margin of the chute walls are members I9, 20, 2I and 22, said members being for the purpose of strengthening the frame and supporting a removable chute extension. All of said members I9 and 22 inclusive are each provided with a vertical wall portion 23 to overlie the adjacent wall It and be secured thereto. The outstanding portions of members I9 and 20 are in the form of channel grooves 24 whereas the outstanding portions of members 2I and 22 are in the form of flat horizontal ledges 25. The removable chute extension usually consists of a canvas tube having an angle shaped end portion with an outstanding flange as indicated conventionally at 26. The flange 26 seats in the grooves 24 on two sides of the frame and underlies the ledges 25 on the other two sides.

The members I9 to 22 inclusive are preferably secured by rivets as indicated at 21 and these are applied after the frame portion I3 has been die formed and straightened.

An advantage of my method of construction resides in the fact that the main frame member may be formed from a flat sheet metal plate blanked out to the shape indicated in Fig. 4. This particular method of construction contemplates a flat sheet metal plate IElIl with a central opening IIlI and the corners of the plate coped out to shape as indicated at I02 resulting in a cross shaped blank. The plate adjacent the margins of the opening IDI is drawn to form the downwardly extending chute indicated by walls I03 and the arms of the cross shaped blank are bent upwardly on lines I94 and H155 to the form indicated in Figs. 5 and 6 and the end and side walls are then united at their junction by welding as indicated at I06. This results in a substantially pan shaped frame with a chute extending downwardly below the pan and the fact that the chute lies at an appreciable distance from the walls of the pan there is provided ample space to support the sliding gate.

After the end and side walls of the frame have been welded together into a unitary structure, a slot III! is formed in one of the end walls of the frame by cutting out a portion of the vertical wall as at I08 and a portion of the adjacent horizontal wall as at I09 as indicated in Fig. 7. The frame is then positioned between dies as indicated in Figs. 9 and 10 and pressure applied to obtain a flat and even surface on which the sliding gate may move freely. The upper section of the die is indicated at I I9 and the lower section at I I I.

The application of the horizonal ledges at the lower portion of the chute is deferred until such time as the upper portion of the frame has been aligned.

A major advantage of my invention resides in the fact that the integral frame member may be positioned in a forming die after being formed and thus the necessity of machining is eliminated as it is possible in this way to obtain perfectly straight and even surfaces on which the gate will operate satisfactorily. It is necessary, however, with my system of construction that the gate supporting ledge be accessible to a forming die and I am enabled to attain this result by adding the laterally projecting parts after the frame has been aligned. The addition of the laterally projecting parts at the lower margin of the frame chute is readily accomplished by unskilled labour.

While I have indicated a preferred method of carrying out my improved construction, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to this particular method and I contemplate any and all constructions coming within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

What I claim is:

1. In a discharge outlet for the lower portion of a discharge hopper, an assembly including a frame and a sliding gate carried by the frame for controlling the discharge of the lading, said frame being of generally pan-like formation with flanges extending upwardly for attachment to the hopper proper; one of the flanges being slotted to accommodate the gate, said frame having a central opening with marginal depending flanges spaced from the upwardly extending flanges an appreciable distance to present a flat ledge section on which the gate rests, said marginal flanges of the opening extending downwardly an appreciable distance to present a chute-like structure; the herein method of forming said frame from a flat plate, which consists of the following operations, namely; cutting out an opening from the central portion of the plate and coping out angularly shaped portions from the four corners of the plate to form a cross shaped blank, depressing the marginal portions of the opening to form the downwardly extending chute, bending the arms defined by the cross shaped portion of the cross upwardly to bring the two edges of the coped out corner sections in meeting relation to complete the pan shaped structure, welding the meeting edges of the upwardly extending flanges and cutting out a portion of one of the walls of the pan shaped portion to form the slot for the gate, and thereafter levelling the frame by squeezing the ledge portion between die sections.

2. In a discharge outlet for the lower portion of a discharge hopper, an assembly including a frame and a sliding gate carried by the frame for controlling the discharge of lading from the hopper, said frame being of generally pan-like formation with flanges extending upwardly for attachment to the hopper proper; one of the flanges being slotted to accommodate the gate therethrough, said frame having a central opening with marginal depending flanges spaced from the upwardly extending flanges an appreciable distance to present a fiat ledge portion on which the gate rests, said marginal depending flanges of the opening extending downwardly to present a chute-like structure; the herein method of forming said frame from a flat plate, which consists of the following operations, namely: cutting out an opening from the central portion of the Plate and coping out angularly shaped corner portions from the four corners of the plate to form a cross shaped blank, depressing the marginal portions of the opening to form the downwardly extending chute, bending the arms defined by the cross shaped portion of the plate upwardly to bring the two edges of the coped out corner sections in meeting relation to complete the pan shaped structure, Welding the meeting edges of the upwardly extending flanges and cutting out a portion of one of the flat ledges and of the adjacent upwardly extending walls of the pan shaped portion to form the slot for the gate and thereafter levelling the frame by squeezing the ledge portion between die sections.

GEORGE B. DOREY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

Number 6 UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Horsley May 7, 1912 Bros June 17, 1924 Moecker May 11, 1926 Wetmore Apr. 5, 1927 Fox Dec. 1, 1936 Dorey Feb. 1, 1944 

